Man City's next six Premier League fixtures compared with Arsenal as Blues close gap to four points
Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to four points in a weekend where Pep Guardiola's side became hot favourites for a fifth title in six seasons.
City enjoyed a commanding 3-1 win over Leicester City without going past third gear, an Erling Haaland brace adding to John Stones' wonderful volley. Pep Guardiola took both his goalscorers off at half-time, with Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Jack Grealish all removed early in the second half.
That heaped the pressure on Arsenal, who looked to have been unphased when Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard put them two up inside 10 minutes. But two goals from the Hammers either side of Bukayo Saka's missed penalty turned the tide, both in the game and the overall title race.
Mikel Arteta's side remain four points clear, but with the Blues having a game in hand and welcoming the league leaders to the Etihad, they are now the bookies favourites. Whatever happens, it looks set to go down to the wire, and MEN Sport has taken a close look at City's next six league fixtures and compared them with Arsenal's.
Manchester City - 2nd (70pts)
- Arsenal (H) - April 26
- Fulham (A) - April 30
- West Ham (H) - May 3
- Leeds United (H) - May 7
- Everton (A) - May 14
- Chelsea (H) - May 20
Arsenal - 1st (74pts)
- Southampton (H) - April 21
- Manchester City (A) - April 26
- Chelsea (H) - April 29
- Newcastle United (A) - May 7
- Brighton (H) - May 14
- Nottingham Forest (A) - May 20
Verdict
Guardiola said it himself, next week's welcoming of Arsenal to the Etihad will come to resemble a cup final of sorts. The Gunners could be seven points clear when they travel north for that mammoth clash, with the Blues not playing in the league until that point.
Arsenal host Southampton at the Emirates next weekend when City are in FA Cup semi-final action against Sheffield United, not to mention the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
After that clash on April 26, it is City who undoubtedly have the easier run-in, with an out-of-form Fulham preceding three relegation candidates in West Ham, Leeds and Everton. In that time, Arsenal face Chelsea, Newcastle and Brighton.
Where Arsenal do hold the advantage is their lack of distractions, with the Gunners' sole focus being Premier League football while City could well go the distance in both the Champions League and FA Cup.
